Home Cures and Treatmentsfor common ailments

“Go on a Diet” is probably the most used phrase we hear at the Dr.’s office. With all the new diets you can find online, the most effective weight loss regimen I’ve found is simple. Add exercise, drink plenty of water, eat small meals, use stevia sweetener and slow down while eating.

1. Add 30 minutes of brisk walking to your daily routine.
2. Drink more water, not tea, not coffee, not soft drinks, water. At least 3 full 16 oz.
bottles daily.
3. Eat 3 SMALL meals a day and add a veggie or fruit snack in between
if you feel hungry. TIP: Use a small plate and fill only once. The snack is not another full
meal. Be sure you are hungry and not just needing to fill your mouth. (Drink water)
4. Sugary sweets (in a small amount) can be a treat once or twice a week, but no more.
It is better to use stevia as a sweetener in your tea or coffee.

Mindful eating is the opposite of the feeding “frenzy” that occupies many of us; it involves using all your senses to eat. Notice the color, small, taste and texture of each bite.

5. Eat slowly, chew your food well. Chewing leads to smooth digestion a a greater assimilation of nutrients. Put down your fork while you are chewing and take time to enjoy the flavor of your food.

Whether you are walking, standing or lying in bed at night, your muscles are constantly contracting and relaxing. As a result, they need a lot of nourishment.

While you can’t entirely prevent muscle cramps entirely, choosing the right foods will make them less likely to return.

There are certain minerals, that help the message get from the brain to the muscle and tell it to contract and how much and then to relax. The minerals are calcium, potassium, sodium and magnesium and they are known as electrolytes. These minerals play a role in helping the message get through. If you don’t get enough of these minerals, or have sweated them out, a muscle may not get the signal to relax and this can cause a painful cramp. Here are links to some supplements, but listed below are the foods that contain these supplements. If you are on the go….supplements work.

Magnesium is one of the most important because it helps the other electrolytes do their jobs.

1. You can get magnesium from tofu, spinach and Spanish mackerel.
2. Include dairy in your diet for calcium, a cup of fat-free milk for example has 300 mg of
calcium.
3. Bananas and potatoes have potassium.
4. Say no to sodium because there is enough of that is the other food you eat.
5. Drink at least 16 oz of water or juice each time you work out to get the necessary minerals.
6. Dodge cramps with carbs. Muscles need more than electrolytes and water to function well. They also need glycogen, a sugar that comes from carbohydrates.

The Greek word anemia means “no blood.” But that is an exaggeration. The person has plenty of blood, there is just not the usual number of red blood cells or these cells are NOT carrying their usual payload of energy-giving oxygen.

The most common form of anemia is iron-deficiency anemia unless the person is losing blood - as a result of menstruation or perforated ulcers for example. The symptoms are that your brain feels fuzzy or you are always cold.

Luckily, it’s generally an easy condition to correct, and the cure is our favorite thing–food.

The Daily Value (DV) for iron is 18 milligrams. Pregnant women need a much higher amount - 30 milligrams a day.

It’s not too hard to get enough iron if you eat meat, fish, and poultry. 3 ounces of steamed blue mussels have 6 mg. of iron. A 3 oz. serving of lean, broiled top round steak has 3 mg, and the same amount of roasted turkey has 1 mg.

If you eat little or no meat you have to pay more attention to your diet. A cup of canned pumpkin has 3.4 mg. of iron. Kidney beans and lentils have about 3 mg in a half cup serving. As you can see, the total amount of iron isn’t the problem with these foods.

It has everything to do with how well our bodies absorb the nutrients we eat. The iron found in meat is readily absorbed. The iron found in plant foods is less so.

Combining certain foods can increase the absorption rate. For example, pairing a food that contains vitamin C with a food that contains iron guarantees that you will get substantially more of iron into your bloodstream. Iron is best absorbed in an acidic environment. There are many ways to include vitamin C with your meals to increase your absorption of iron. For instance, a large tomato has 23 milligrams of vitamin C or 38 percent of the DV or drink citrus drinks.

One nutrient you don’t want to combine with iron is calcium. Especially when you are taking iron supplements. They compete for the same receptor sites in the cells. For example, put milk on our cereal in the morning, but wait until later to take your iron supplement.

The same goes for coffee and tea. Both beverages contain tannins, chemicals that have a blocking effect on iron supplements, so don’t take you iron supplements with coffee in the morning.

One way to get more iron in your diet is to simply cook your meals in cast iron pots. As a rule, this increases iron by 2 to 5 percent.

During the Holiday we are surrounded by all kinds of rich, fatty foods. Of course if we could eat in moderation, it would be helpful, but (my excuse) “we only get these tasty morsels once a year.” Of course, this leads to heartburn, indigestion and acid reflux. I will include in this post a few natural remedies that just might help. I will add some links where some can be purchased.

1. When you have stomach cramps caused by indigestion, sip some peppermint or ginger tea as your after-dinner drink.
2. In the case of acid indigestion, thoroughly chew a teaspoon of dry rolled oats, then swallow them. The oats not only soothe the acid condition, they also neutralize it.
3. Eating one large radish will banish all the symptoms of discomfort if radishes agree with you. Do not eat them if you know it will cause you more discomfort. Some people keep daikon (a Japanese radish) in the refrigerator for this purpose. 1-2 tablespoons of this grated with the meal is an effective digestive aid.

4. Mix a tablespoon of honey and 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar in a glass of warm water will bring some relief.
5. 1 teaspoon of fenugreek seeds steeped for 10 minutes in a cup of boiling water and then strained should make you feel better.

6. Eat, drink or take some form of papaya after eating and it will help combat indigestion. The potent digestive enzyme papain is contained there.

7. Eat a 1 inch slice of a raw potato will give some relief as well.

Some or at least one of these natural remedies should bring you some relief from indigestion and make your after Holiday celebration a bit more comfortable.
ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAY WITH FUN, FOOD, FAMILY AND BE SAFE.

The wheezing, coughing and tightness in your chest are all caused by an inflammation of the bronchioles, the tubes that carry air within the lungs. During an attack, this swelling worsens, and the bronchial tubes narrow. Asthma can also make mucus glands work overtime, producing a thick, sticky fluid that congests airways.

Asthma attacks are often triggered by allergies, anxiety and strong emotions. Do Not hesitate to see your medical doctor if: 1) you have to use your medication more and more frequently or 2) if you experience an asthma attack you cannot control. The attacks can be deadly.